Tank-car.



G. A. SHOEMAKER.

TANK GAR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 26, 1913.

Patented June 17, 1913.

UNITED STA Es PATENT OFFICE.

" cr mes A. snoimaxmi, or 'cmonoo, ILLINOIS."

Patented June 17, 1913.

TANK-CAR.

1,0 5,273 Specification of Lettenatent.

Application and March 26, 1913. Serial No. 756,900.

. To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES A; Stronmxnn, citizen of the United States, residing at Chie'agq'in the county of Cook and State of Illino1s,have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Tank-Cars, of which -the following is a full, clear, concise, and

exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a. part of this specification,

My invention relates to car-structures and hasfor its object the provision of improved "connections between car bodies and car body supports, which connections are of particu-. larservice In the construction of tank cars in which tanks constitute the car bodies,

though I do not desire to be limited to the adaptation of my'invention to tank cars,

In practising my invention, I prefer to employ two center sills formed out of chan nel iron as usual, the tank or other car body being secured to the top flanges of the cenflier si-lls by fastening devices each having longitudinally with respect to the center sills.

My invention also provides means for preventing shearing strains upon the anchoring bolts or. rivets which are preferably employed to anchor a tank down. In m' icopendingapplication .Serial No. 568,088, filed June 21, 1910, I have disclosed and claimed a structure having some of the purposes of the present invention, the fastening devices in the prior structure being slidably supported upon the center sills to have frictional engagement therewith upon relative longitudinal motion between the tank and the center sills whereby movement of the tank upon the center sills is retarded.

My present invention, in its preferred em- --bodiment, constitutes an improvement upon which- 1 is a side view of a portion of the ffictional contact at two of\its surfaces withthe center sills and parts carried thereby structure with some parts in section; Fig. 2 1s a sectional view on line 2 -2 of-Fi 1; f Fig.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3- 3 0 tration of many details being omitted as being unnecessary to an understanding of my invention. As my. invention is of special utility in the construct-ion of tank cars, the

supporting structure includes two center sills b that are formed of an le iron to pro vide. outsetting flanges c, an which center sills are spaced apart and are disposed in the car structure in accordance with the practice that is now common in tank car construction. The end portions of the tank (1 have sliding mounting-upon the top outsetting flanges c of the center sills, which mounting is desirably secured by means of pedestals e that include feet desirably rigidly secured'to the bottom of thetank, to which end the pedestals'may have curved rests g forming integral parts thereof'and which are riveted to the; tank. The feet I underlie washer or friction plates k that are held in fixed relation with each other by vertically disposed or upright bolts 2' whose shanks pass through closely fitting vertically i alined round holes formed in the top flanges c and the washers h. The bolt nuts k are shown as underlying the top flanges c, the washers Z interposed between these nuts and flanges tapering to compensate for the taper of the flanges, as indicated most clearly in Fig. 2. here the bolt shanks are thus held in fixed relation to the center sills and washer plates 71-, each foot f has elongated openings m extending longitudinally of the center sills and through which the bolt shanks pass, the openings m being sufficiently long to permit ofdcsired movement of the tank longitudinally of the-center sills, sufliciently wide to permit of such' longitudinal tank movement without bimlin.g,and

sufficiently narrow to preventmovement of V the tank transversely of the center sills. The

nuts I; are tightened sufliciently to prevent the tank from rising bodily from the center sills, yet permitting movement of the tank longitudinally of the center sills."

the clamping action of the bolts, the top surfaces of the feet f have frictional engagement with the bottom surfaces of the washers h and the bottom surfaces of said feet have frictional engagement with the top surfaces of the topeflanges 0, whereby the movement of the tank is properly retarded to check the movement of the tank with sufficient slowness to prevent the rivets which unite the tank with the curved rests g from being sheared. I have shown four pedestals 6, two upon each side of the tank near its ends. Each pedestal is, in the embodiment of the invention shown, in movable relation with a plurality of bolts 71 that h ve a common washer h fixed with respect'to the bolts to increase the friction, though I do not wish to be limited t e-the employment of washers h which are comm-om to a plurality of bolts. v

In the preferred shanks of the bolts or other fastening membersi are not capable of havin violent contact at the ends of the elongated apertures m in the feet f, to which end buffers are em-' ployed which may be inthe form of stop plates or lugs n between which the-group of four pedestals f intervenes and which may be rigidly secured to the topflanges of the center sills, the lugs n at one end'of the car or the other being engaged-by the feet f when the limit of tank travel has been" reached then .to prevent the bolts 5 from bein subject to shearing strain. lVhile I have herein shown and particuform of the invention the larly described the preferred embodimentsurfaces engage the tops of the center sills;-

friction plates engagin the upper surfaces of the feet; and means Ior holdlng said friction plates and center sills snnultaneously in frictional engagement with the pedestal feet.

'2. A car structure including a tank; a pair of center sills for supporting the tank;

pedestals carrying the tank at their 'upper ends and in sliding relation to and slidable longitudinally of the center sills, said pedestals being provided with feet whose lower surfaces engage the tops of the center sills;

friction plates engaging the upper surfaces of the feet; and means for holding said fric- Owing to 1 tiohplates and center sillssimultaneouslyin frictional engagement with the pedestal feet and in substantiallyifixed relation with each other. 1 y

3.'A car structure including'a tank; a pair of center sills for supporting the tank and provided vwith top flanges; pedestals supporting'the tank at their upper ends and in sliding relation to and slidable longitudi nally of the center sills, said pedestals being provided with feet whose lower surfaces fric tionall'y engage said centersill flanges; fric- .tion plates engaging the upper surfacesof the pedestal feet; and bolts passing throu h the center SlllS and operating to hold t e friction plates and center sill flanges simul-" taneously in frictional engagement with the pedestal feet.

4. A car structure including a tank; a pair of center sills for supporting the tank and provided with top flanges; pedestals supporting the tank at their upper ends and in sliding relation to and slidable'longitudinally of the center sills, said pedestals being provided with feet whose lower surfaces frictionally engage said center sill flanges friction plates engaging the upper surfaces 1 of the pedestal feet; and bolts passing through the center' sills and operating to hold the friction plates and center sill flanges simultaneously in frictional engagement'with the pedestal feet, said bolts being in substantially fixed relation with the center sills and friction plates.

5. A car structureincluding a tank a pair of center sills for su porting thetank and provided with top anges; pedestals supporting the tank at their upper ends and in sliding relation to and sl-idable longitudinally of the center sills, said pedestals being provided with feet whose lower surfaces frictionally engage said center'sill flanges; friction plates engaging the upper surfaces of the pedestal feet; bolts passing through the center sills and operating to hold the friction plates and center sill flanges simul-- taneously in frictional engagement with the pedestal feet;- and means for limiting the movement of the tank independently of 'said bolts to relieve the bolts of shearing strain.

6. A car structure including a tank; a pair. of center sills for supporting the tank and provided with top flanges; pedestals sup porting the tank at their upper ends and in sliding relation to and slidable longitudinally of the center sills, said pedestals being provided with feet whose lower surfaces frictionally engage said center sill flanges; friction plates engaging the uppersurfaces of the edestal feet; bolts passing through the cen er sills. and operating to hold the friction plates and center sill flanges simultaneously infrictional engagement with the pedestal feet, said bolts being in. substantially'fixed relation with the center sills and fribtion plates; and means for limiting the means engaging the upper portion of said movement ofthe tank independently of said foot formation; and means for holding said to relieve the bolts of shearing strain. friction producing means and the car body 7. A car structure including car body; a support simultaneously in frictional "engage- 15 5 support for the car body; a pedestal strucmentwith said foot formation.

ture by whichthe car body is mounted upon In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe its-su port, said pedestal structure having a w my name this 24th day of March A. 11,1913. ioot. ormation resting upon and in sliding CHARLES A. SHOEMAKER. frictional engagement with the car body sup- Witnesses:

10 port' to permit the car body to move longi- G. L. CRAGG,

tiidinally of support; friction producing I E. L. WHITE. 7 

